Devices and methods for fabricating dental templates, utilizing radiopaque substances in connection with dental stents and manufacturing dental implant structures are disclosed in the following: U.S. Application No. 2004/0166462 A1 to Phan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,696 to Giordano, U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,546 to Cox, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,382,975 B1 to Poirier. Difficulties encountered in the placement of dental implants include maintaining the accuracy of placements and efficiently utilizing evidence of bone available for surgical drilling.
Surgical drills are typically used during dental implant surgery in order to achieve the placement of dental implants. Related patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,409,493, 5,746,743, and 5,888,034 to Greenberg. Difficulty in maintaining a parallel orientation of the varying drill sizes throughout the implantation process is a common problem encountered during dental implant procedures.
The dental implant locator of the present invention is made for use in facilitating placement of implants relative to radiographic determinations of available bone structures relative to the oral tissues of the mouth. The dental implant placement locator disclosed overcomes the difficulty typically encountered in achieving an accurate placement of dental implants and in positioning drills during oral surgery.
The present embodiments are detailed below with reference to the listed Figures.